


It's an Art

by twitch



Series: kylux cantina prompts [9]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Innuendo, M/M, Pre-Slash, Prompt Fic, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 13:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10922847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twitch/pseuds/twitch
Summary: The turntable was coated with creamy water, bubbling while the mug threatened to spill more over. When he spotted the teabag he couldn’t stop himself.He shrieked.





	It's an Art

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr for kylux cantina for the Ritual theme. The prompt: “Modern AU. Roommates, can be established or not. Hux walks in on Kylo making tea… in the microwave. The tea bag is also in the mug as it heats up. Hux is absolutely appalled at this brutish and sinful display of tea making.” I myself would be apalled by tea making in this manner. My own tea-isms pop up.

It had been far too long a day. A meeting done over conference call held him up past his normal standard of working late. The later hour left him hopeful that most people would’ve already arrived home, leaving the train ride less packed. Yet, judging by the number of jerseys that crowded every station, there had to be at least two sports games happening.

The only godsend was that it wasn’t post-game rush. He wasn’t soaked with beer and sweat by the time he stumbled out of the car, shuffling from underground to stairs to dusk with the rest of the herd.

Legs felt like noodles once he finished the last set of stairs to his floor. He could feel the sharp pangs of hunger, needles in his stomach, but it was more the lethargy of low blood sugar that concerned him. Important as food was he was more interested in settling down on the couch, letting the stress of the day evaporate into the steam of a cup of tea.

Pushing the unlocked door open a smell permeated the air. He could hear the rumble of the microwave, the machine having passed its golden years by half a decade, but the cloy that wafted towards him struck him as worrisome.

Worse yet was what greeted him once he opened the microwave. The turntable was coated with creamy water, bubbling while the mug threatened to spill more over. When he spotted the teabag he couldn’t stop himself.

He shrieked.

“What? Is it done?” Kylo sprinted into the kitchen, shirtless. Water dripped over his shoulders, wet hair sopping. Peering around the fridge, following around to stand in front of the microwave, he pulled the mug out. “I lost half my tea!”

Ignoring the sight that he would normally admire he stared wild-eyed into Kylo’s despondent face. “That’s not tea, that’s sewage!” 

Kylo’s frown wasn’t deterred, deepening when he poured the remains down the sink. “Rey gave me that tea, she won’t be happy to hear you said that.”

“She won’t be happy to know you butchered it by boiling it in the microwave!”

Dropping the teabag into the garbage Kylo turned back to him, arms crossed. “She at least lets me have tea. You tell me you have tea and yet when I look for your stash… it looks like an entirely different stash.” Now the eyebrow arched. “Are you sure you aren’t dealing?”

So much for a relaxing night. His nails dug into the heel of his palm, impressive as he still held his briefcase. “I’ve told you, it’s loose leaf tea.”

“Haven’t you heard of a teabag?” An amused huff and Kylo angled his head haughtily. “I’m not going to drink a mouthful of weed.”

“Tea,” he insisted, shaking his head. “And it tastes better loose.”

That arrogant tilt took on an edge that he was all too familiar with, lips wetted before pursing. “How would you know? I’ve always heard your friends loving how tight-”

“Alright!” Feigning apology, shrugging his shoulders, Hux started to twist away. “I was going to offer to make you a proper cup of tea but if you’re not interested I’ll just make myself some dinner.”

He made it two steps before Kylo squeezed by him, warm hands at his shoulders to stop him. “Keep your contraband out of my mug and you’ve got a deal.”

“It’s not-” Realising that Kylo accepting that he knew how to make tea was a significant step he held back his protest. “I’m putting my briefcase away and hanging up my coat. Then I’ll make you your tea.”

Physically lighter, even if the burden of the lesson he was attempting to teach loomed heavier, he returned to the kitchen, gesturing for Kylo to step out of the way. The kettle and its plug-in base was a bit too bulky to keep out on the counter all the time. “Alright, first things first.” Once he set it in position he turned back to Kylo. “What kind of tea did Rey give you?”

Kylo looked down at the teabag in hand. “… Bagged?”

“There are different kind of teas, and depending on the type the method of making it differs.” Taking the bag without permission he peered at the fine paper, seeing a vague outline of long leaves. A sniff confirmed what he suspected. “Green tea. It does smell nice.”

Confusion made way to alarm. “If my piss is going to turn green-“

“Go- no!” Huffing and eyes widening Hux set the bag on the counter then took the kettle to fill it to the minimum line. “Your ‘piss’ will be just fine. Now, the kettle. You plug it in and, if you are just looking to make a cup of tea, you fill it to the minimum line. You’ll have more water than you need but you can always pour the rest down the sink. Always pour it out, do not leave any unused water in the kettle after you’ve boiled it. And always fill the kettle with cold water.”

“But I don’t want iced tea, I want hot tea,” Kylo argued, placing one hand on the counter to survey the action. 

He turned off the tap, barely letting his eyes flick towards the still bare torso. Even if he could make tea blindfolded he didn’t want to give Kylo the pleasure of knowing he was hard to ignore. “Iced tea is a different beast in itself, but you start with cold water regardless. It’s… I believe it’s something about quality of water. Cold water in coffee machines or kettles makes for better coffee or tea. But-” Motioning Kylo closer he set the kettle onto the base. The digital screen lit up with 100. “If you boil the water as is, at default temperature, you would be able to drink a black tea. That is your standard tea – orange pekoe, earl grey, chai – black teas. There are other teas that can be made at one hundred degrees but because you have a green tea you need less hot water. Some tea boxes will specifically give you a temperature setting but you can estimate it for 80 or 85. I tend to go lower-”

“That’s what he said.”

“Focus.” Biting at the inside of his cheek he pressed the down button until 80 appeared on the screen. “Then you press the on button, this one between the up and down buttons.” A little pictogram appeared above the screen, a stovetop kettle, that started flashing. “Now, as personal preference, and far be it that I tell you what you ought to do, but green teas rarely need any milk unless you’re making a latte. The same goes for sugar.”

Kylo had been paying attention to the kettle, nodding when it started making noises to indicate that the water was heating. “What about cream?”

Flinching in mental pain he made a point of looking away. “Cream is for scones.” Sighing, unable to resist putting on a dramatic tone, he mumbled loudly. “No wonder you Americans dumped all your tea into the harbour. Can’t make a decent cup of-”

“But tea tastes nasty without anything in it!” Kylo argued.

Casting his gaze askance to Kylo, unable to resist a small smirk, he cocked his head. “Mark my words, this is the only time I’m going to say them. Some things taste best straight.”

Kylo bit his lip, not laughing but grinning. “At least you said it and not me.”

A click sounded from the kettle, the just under-boiling water hitting the required temperature. “Now bring your mug over here, put the tea bag in the mug. Pour the water in – slowly!” Watching Kylo’s progress he steadied his arm and the kettle with his hand, assisting. “You don’t want the tea bag to break. Now green tea doesn’t take long to steep. Three minutes tops if you want it strong.”

“Like me?”

“What you ever say muscle-brain.” Kylo set the kettle back down but it took Hux a few more seconds to remove his hand from his arm. “And after your three minutes are up, take the teabag out. You don’t want to over-steep green tea, that’s when it does take a turn for the nasty.”

Looking to the stove for the time then back Kylo nodded. “Duly noted.”

“Good.” Opening the drawer in which his teas were kept he decided on pulling out a white tea. He needed a little more caffeine to keep him going, through making dinner and following up on a phone call with a client in California. He poured out what remained of the water and refilled the kettle again. “I highly encourage you to use the kettle if you make another tea. I have the manual in my room-”

“Why would I need that when you’re around to make me tea?” Kylo asked, circling around the dinner table to get to the couch.

“You should learn to use it for when I’m not here. Because I don’t want to come home to another microwave disaster – which you still need to clean up,” Hux reminded, adjusting the temperature on the kettle before starting it.

“I’ll get to it in a min – ooh.” It was as though he reminded himself, for the next thing he knew, looking towards the small living room, Kylo was dunking the tea bag several times before pulling it out. Scooping out his tea, and setting it in the strainer of his mug, Hux smiled down to the counter at Kylo’s murmur. “Rey’s got good tea, it does taste good without the cream.”

Debating turning Kylo’s phrase against him, he declined and stayed waiting by the counter. In a couple of minutes he joined him on the couch, sitting on the far cushion. “Oh, so it’s just Rey’s tea, and not mine?” he asked, unable to hold back entirely.

Kylo took another sip, a lesser but no less insinuating look in his eyes. “You tell me.” 

He arched an eyebrow, setting the coaster and strainer onto the side table before taking a sip.


End file.
